The present invention relates to a workpiece positioner for installing and removing a workpiece and especially to an aircraft wing positioner for installing or removing an aircraft wing from an aircraft fuselage.
In the past, there have been numerous devices for supporting and transporting a workpiece to a job site and positioning the workpiece for attachment to machinery or the like. For instance, the workpiece transporters and positioners can be seen for transporting and mounting doors to the jamb of a doorway. This assists carpenters in fitting and hanging doors to door openings in buildings. One such door mounting apparatus can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,034 which transports a door on a wheeled frame and positions the door for attaching the hinges. It is also common to use workpiece transports for attaching automobile parts during the production or repair of automobiles, such as in the transport and attachment of a car door or bumper. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,315 for a Bumper Holder, a bumper holder is used for holding a detached automobile bumper. In the Fjellstrom U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,639, a door and body jack is illustrated for supporting automobile body parts for removal, installation and servicing of the parts. A T-shaped dolly support has a vertical standard on which a support unit slides and which cradles the automobile part. In the Spagnolia U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,265, a hydro-pneumatic positioner for removal or installation of wing engines for aircraft is used for the removal or installation of the wing engines of an aircraft. This positioner has a wheeled cart for supporting and moving the aircraft engine and a hydro-pneumatic system for hoisting the engine to a position for mounting the engine to an aircraft. In the Mills et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,455, an aircraft engine lifting and positioning apparatus is provided for lifting and positioning aircraft engines during installation. Wing mounted engines of large transport airplanes are periodically removed for servicing and maintenance and these types of lifting and positioning devices are used during the servicing and maintenance of airplane engines.
The present invention is specifically directed towards a wing positioner for installing and/or removing an aircraft wing and includes a wheeled base for moving an attached wing to a desired location with means for positioning the wing for installing to an aircraft fuselage. The aircraft wing is supported between a wing support arm and a vertically extending telescoping post. It is moved into position on a wheeled base and positioned for installation or removal from an aircraft fuselage with a pair of telescoping posts and hinged wing support arms.